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Government fails to recoup $230 million in toll road fines

Kim Stephens

Less than five per cent of toll evaders pay their fines. Photo: Harrison Saragossi

The Queensland Government is losing as much as $230 million each year in fine revenue by failing to chase toll evaders, a leaked internal government document has revealed.

Less than five per cent of motorists issued with penalty infringement notices pay their fines, the document obtained by Fairfax Media reveals, effectively giving 95 per cent of toll evaders a free ride on state-controlled roads.

The government conceded on Thursday it is aware there is a systemic problem.

Outdated, manual processes used by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to issue penalty infringement notices have been blamed for the low prosecution rate of toll evading drivers on the state government-controlled Airport Link, Gateway Motorway and Logan Motorway.

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The document reveals due to a manual enforcement process, tolling unit staff are only capable of issuing fines for less than half the 60,000 monthly infringement notices referred by toll road operators Queensland Motorways and BrisConnections and toll evaders are not chased for monies owed.

Fairfax Media understands the processes have been in place since before the opening of the Gateway Motorway in 2010 and Airport Link in 2012, meaning lost revenue could conservatively total more than half a billion dollars.

Under-resourcing within the department is also understood to be a contributing factor, though a spokesperson for Transport Minister Scott Emerson said on Thursday the number of tolling unit staff had not changed since the LNP came to power in 2012.

The spokesperson admitted there was a problem with penalty enforcement processes but would not confirm how much the government was losing in fine revenue each year.

“When we came into office we discovered the manual process implemented by the former Labor government in 2009 needed improvement,” the spokesperson said.

“A review of the process is underway to look at how we can improve, including automating processes.”

Government figures show while $50.4 million in unpaid toll infringements were referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Agency in 2012-13, just more than $11 million was recovered across all three toll roads.

Toll road traffic volume figures obtained by Fairfax Media show more than 100 million trips have been made on the three state government-controlled toll roads this financial year and more than two thirds on the Gateway Motorway.

Nearly 14 million trips have been made on the Brisbane City Council-controlled Clem 7 tunnel and Go Between Bridge.

The council collects $33 million in toll evasion fine revenue annually.

Assuming evasion rates are the same across all five toll roads, the state government should be collecting $244 million per year in fine revenue, rather than $11 million.

This figure was put to the minister's office but was not confirmed or denied in their response.

The document also acknowledges road users are aware of the ineffectiveness of the state government enforcement process, admitting that hundreds of thousands of motorists are not paying tolls.

And just a week after the government outlined its plan to sell off the state’s assets to pay down Queensland’s $80 billion debt it also acknowledges that the mismanagement of the three roads is potentially devaluing the state’s toll road assets.

Despite the revelations the spokesperson for Mr Emerson insisted toll evaders would pay.

“Anyone who doesn’t pay their toll will be fined,” the spokesperson said.

Last week’s state budget also outlined a shake-up of SPER in a bid to recover more revenue from fines.

35 comments so far

Why are they surprised. Most of the fines blow out from $3 to $120 within a few weeks after inter agency transfer and those questionable "admin fees". Queenslanders refuse to pay manifestly excessive charges just to satisfy a greedy government.

Commenter

Buzz

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 4:37AM

Its their business model. A fee for not responding to their unpaid notice is issued before you can get to your mail. There is no way to clear fee piled on top of fee,before you receive your mail, unless you call and pay over the phone.

I guess they don't make enough from tolls, unpayable reoccurring fees are their solution.

Commenter

Blue

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 9:18AM

I got one of those a few years ago. As an interstate tourist and due to roadworks (so many other signs, perhaps distracted us) we were totally unaware we were even on a Toll road. Never received the initial bill, only the totally overinflated absurd one. I just kept ignoring it as they kept escalating into the hundreds and it finally went away. What a way to treat tourists! Only reason I ever remember being in that part of Brisbane was because of a stinking fine.

Commenter

A country gal

Location

Vic

Date and time

June 14, 2014, 1:27PM

here we go again they are talking about more asset sales and yet the voting public has not yet re-elected them so they can sell the assets

Commenter

max

Location

Qld

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 5:25AM

Notice the subtle "Labor Dunnit"...The standard imperative in a election year is now in T Minus Mode, stand by for Blast Off....Issued and authorized under the seal of Baron von Klink..an`da..We make no apologies about that.

Commenter

Geronimo

Location

Yippee Yi Yo

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 6:16AM

That's weird, the Minister's spokesperson saying there are still the same number of staff in the unit because I heard that half the unit was sacked during the Purge - that's half of the AO2s and 3s who process the infringements. So if they are back to the same number of staff, there must have been a whole bunch of senior managers hired to oversee things. A lot of units are short staffed since the place went Caltabananas.

Commenter

Jimbeaux

Location

Around the Way

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 6:23AM

You can't believe a word these guys say. They could not run an ice-cream store at the north Pole.

Commenter

Clive

Location

Manly West

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 3:18PM

Crikey now the cats out of the bag!!Obviously everyone is getting sick of a deceptive taxation system based on fining people!The way things are going we will all be getting fined soon for taking too many breaths in the day!It makes me wonder what would happen if everybody stopped paying exorbitant fines for simple human failings! Many fines now being issued are for supposed crimes for where there is no victim! If there is no victim how is there a crime? What would happen if one day we all woke up to the fact that we are not actually slaves but are free sovereign beings that are being duped!What would actually happen if we all refused to pay any fines imposed on the whims of the political and bureaucratic classes at all?Maybe to start with our police taxation force would become a police (peace) service again!Cripes, I hope this post doesn't start a sheeple revolution!!

Commenter

Barry Anthony

Location

Moggill

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 6:54AM

Pay ya toll, ya bastards, then qld will be out of debt and government can go back to doing what they do best..........snoogens

Commenter

Jase

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 6:58AM

Do NOT pay tolls. Let the drones pay them. If they are too silly to realize we already pay taxes and rego and they want to pay over and over and over again to use the same roads.... well, what do you expect? They are clearly dimwits.